Hey all, my son Owen and I had a BLAST this weekend, our first Auto Cross! The Volvo ran great and is everything my son was hoping it would be, can't wait to drive again at the February event.

To prepare for Feb, does anyone have for sale or can recommend a good place to get a L/XL Open faced helmet that meets current standards? And a good place to get magnetic numbers/letter for the car sides, or even a sign made?

Garet Binckes wrote:Hey all, my son Owen and I had a BLAST this weekend, our first Auto Cross! The Volvo ran great and is everything my son was hoping it would be, can't wait to drive again at the February event.

To prepare for Feb, does anyone have for sale or can recommend a good place to get a L/XL Open faced helmet that meets current standards? And a good place to get magnetic numbers/letter for the car sides, or even a sign made?

Thanks!

Garet and Owen

Nice to meet you guys this weekend! I saw Owen out on course on Sunday but I didn't get a chance to speak with him. But I'm glad to hear you guys had fun!

I got my magnets from http://www.soloperformance.com/ but there are a variety of vendors out there for numbers including eBay and Amazon. I think there might also be a local vendor that come out to our events but I'm not sure.

Helmets, again, Amazon or Ebay has a variety and then there is the local shop of FRSport.com or WindingRoad.com. Lots of option and a wide price range to choose from. Just make sure you get one with the appropriate Snell rating.

We do have local sponsors that you should look into including FRSport, Miataroadster, Racing Lifestyles and Jaycom. I am sure there are others here and hopefully they chime in but these are fellow racers and enthusiasts that deserve our support.

"DOT" printed on the outside of a helmet means nothing to us and does not necessarily meet our requirements. Make sure the helmet you buy has one of the mylar stickers from the link above, or one of the sewn in labels. Current helmets are 2015 rated. We accept 2005 and newer ratings (sometimes you can find older helmets on clearance, but just keep in mind we'll move the dates up by 5 more years in 2020). SA is typically automotive and M is motorcycle rated...we accept both. Those stickers are on the inside of the helmet (typically attached to the actual styrofoam). You'll typically need to peel back the inner lining to see the actual sticker (and it's typically on the D ring clip side of the chin strap). If you buy online you're looking for something like "SA2015" or "M2015" Snell rated. And FYI, most other autocross groups have the same requirements as us, so follow our guidelines and you'll be good to go wherever you run.

Matthew is happy with his Bell Sport Mag (open face) although the clear piece hanging below the plastic visor broke off pretty quickly. Lots of other options and I'd recommend trying it on for fit (at least until you know which helmets work best for your head size/shape).

The autocross community is pretty tight. If you buy from one of our local folks they'll make sure you get exactly what you need.

I see you're signed up for the February event along with Owen. If you both are planning on joining SCCA, they have a family plan that you and Owen can use to save some money. To do it, call SCCA (get their 800 number off any page at SCCA.com) and ask for the membership department. Their web site isn't set up for the family memberships easily (very easy to just call them and work it out), but I've got all my kids and myself on my family membership and it's definitely cheaper than single memberships for everyone!

I just added my new driver daughter to my family plan and I wasn't on the phone more than 2 minutes getting her added. They are very helpful and it's easy to get the family thing set up.

Also...if you've purchased a weekend membership (i.e. for Owen last event), just let them know and they will credit you for that amount as well.

Hey all, thanks for the advice and recommendations. I am working with Kevin from Racinglidfestyle to get a helmet for Owen and 5zero4 Designs (Owen as well) to get some magnetic numbers, I always try to support those that support the sport. We can't make the February Saturday practice, but we will be there Sunday to compete and have some fun!